Fare-collecting box.



H. W. CHARLTON.

FARE UOLLEGTING BOX. APPLICATION FILED MAY 1s, 1901.

Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

l rmx.

FIG'- 4:

' n H. W. CHARLTON.

FARE COLLECTING BOX.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, 1907.

Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2,

INVENTDB.

WITNESSEB I'I-W. CHARLTON:

ATTY- PATENT OFFICE. Y

.HARRY WILLIAMS CHARLTON, or OTTAWA, ONTARIO, oANADA.

FARE-COLLECTING Box. l

No. 918,963. v

- 4 Application filed Mayas, 1907.` seria1N0.374,5os.

To all whom it 'may concern."

Be it known that I, HARRY WILLIAMS CHARLTON, of the city of Ottawa, in the county of" Carleton, Province of Ontario, Canada,have invented certain newV and useful Improvements in Fare-Collecting Boxes ;l

invention `are to provide an exceedingly cheap and simple form of fare collecting box, whlch will register the number of faresy taken and from which, it willbe impossible to ex- ,.tract a fare, after it has once been registered,

a further object being to leave the ticket in the sight of the passenger or purchaser, until it is iinally dropped into the larger containing receptacle, the'details Vof the construction and the features ofnovelty therein, being fully set forth and described in the accompanyingspeciiication and drawings.

In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical sectional view through a Vfare collecting device. Fig. 2 is avertical sectional view through the rotary carrying member in its rotated position. Fig. 3 is arsectional view along the line 2 2, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional detail of the locking plunger. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the rotary carrying member. Fig. 6 is a top view of the box with a portion broken away. Fig. 7 is a sectional view along the line 3-3, Fig. `6. Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional View through the rotary carrying member with the box in itsinverted position.v

In the drawings like charactersof reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

A is the main portion ofthe box, or vreceptacle in which the tickets, afterv collection, are held. It is provided with a suitable handle a. Secured to the top of the box and extending through an aperture therein is a cylindrical casing B held in position by suitable means, those shown being anges b and c which are bolted to the box. The ends of this cylinder are closed by caps d' and e which,

when removed,permit of free accessto the interior of the same. Y

C is the cylindrical rotary carrying member located within the casing By and having an operating lever f secured thereto'and extending throughfa slot g in the casing by means of which the rotary member maybe partially rotated.- -This rotarymember is i Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 2o, 1909.v

made of some 4transparent substance, such as glass, and the front ofthe casing B is provided with a slot h, through which the ticket in the rotary member may be observed. The ticket may be further observed through the slot g.

i, is the carrying slot, which extends through the rotary member, the top of which normally registers with the slot 7L, .whereby the ticket may be freely inserted therein.

The opposite end of the slot is adapted to register with a slot 7' in the casing, when the rotary member is rotated to the greatest extent permitted by the length of the slot g.' The position of theslot t, in this case, will be substantially vertical and the top of it will be closed by the top portion 7c of the casing.

-Y The rotary member is held, normally, in the position shown in Fig. 1, by means of a compression spring l extending around an arc-shaped guide rod 'm secured to the rotary member andlocated within a recess n provided therein, the opposite end of the guide rod extending through a lug o secured to the casing, andwhich is also abutted by the end ofthe compression spring. The compression spring thus abuts the lug at one end and the side of the recess n at the other end and normally resiliently holds the rotary member in position with the slot 'i registering with the slot h in the casing. To prevent the fares being extracted by an `inversion of the box and a reversal of the movement of the carrier member, I provide a locking device D, which is adapted to automatically lock the rotary member when the box is inverted. This consists of a casing 10 divided by partitions into three compartments g, r and s, in which are located locking plungers t. As shown in Fig. 4 these locking plungers have sets of ratchet teeth u and o provided on their edges and the opening w in the top oi the compartment is constricted until it is equal to the greatest diameter across the teeth, whereby after the plungers slide partially out, it will be necessary to shake the box laterally, in order that the plungers may be moved in by a step-bystep movement, thev teeth on opposite sides being alternately engaged. To further assist in this locking of the plungers in their outward position, I provide two additional teeth x and y on the bottom thereof, which are adapted to engage sets of ratchet teeth 5 and 6, formed secured tothe casing B and a slot 7 is provided in the latter, through which the plungers may operate to engage the'rotar'y member. I prefer to effect this engagement V.With the rotary member by meansbf arecess 8 in the rotary member, into which the i plungersr are adapted to take when the rotary member is in the position shown in Fig. 2, the bottom V9 of said recess being provided with a number of stepsto correspondwith ne samba of plunges, whereby reen sa ofthe plungers failto slide outwardly, the third one would engageits proper step or shoulderz and thus prevent the backward rotation of the rotary member.

T vo register thelfares as they are taken, I provide a cyclometer E, et any` Well known construction, which is located within a recess ,the rotary member yand has the operating wheel 10 thereof, extending in an arc-,shaped slot lll, where ity is. adapted to vbe intermittently Aengaged by a s crew-thre adedl tappet pinlZ, whichV is adjustably held in a lug 13 secured to ,the casing. By this means, each time the rotary member is yoscillated a fare is registered, the backward movement. or the rotary member being compensated forwithin they cycloineter, according .to the well known operation of these instruments,

facie 1410i thecyelorneter is so disposed that thereading thereon may be observed through the sloth. in the casing.

In order to prevent the attendant operating the boX from observing the operation of the lockingmechanisin thereof, and in order tomake the ticket inorevclearly visible, l coat'itlie interior of the recesses n and 8 with a suitable reiiecting compound, such as is usually einployeclin mirrorsA and I further .nickel plate Ithe whole ofthe inside Asurface of the casing, or otherwise impart to it reflecting qualities. f

In the operation .o ij the device, the ticket or tickets are inserted by the passenger in the slot i. The conductor then compresses the lever fand rotates therotary member until .the slot registers with ,the discharge slot y' in the casing when the tickets drop into the inner receptacle. Should the c onducterattempt. to invert the `box and thus bring the tickets again into the slot t, the locking plungers t: fall outwardly and engage the st epshQ the recess `S and in order .to free the plungerfromythis: engagementit is not only necessary to invert the box, butvalso to shake it considerably laterally. This 'lateral shaking serves to cause anyticlkets which may have fallen intothe slot i to drop out ofthe .same intol the largerreceptacle and hence when the rotaryv memberis free anddoes rotate to its o riginalposition undery actionof the spring m, there will be no tickets in it.

The registeringdevice registers each rotation of the rotary member. and if three tickets are inserted at one time it would be necessary,

al'ter these have been discharged into thc larger receptacle, to rotate the rotary ineinber twice again,'in order that it might register the correct number ol' fares taken.

The carrying cylinder being translnnent, enables the ticket to be perceived both by the'pass'enger and by the conductor, the latter thus being given an opportunity to insure that it is oi the proper character.

The use of the cyclonieter has thc additional advantage that it serves as a convenient means to gage the traliic on a given line during any determined period. lt further enablesthe actions olI the conductor to bc closely checked, as it would bc a very simple matter to obtain the readings otl thc cycloineter. at dilierent periods and determine whether they corresponded with thc number ol' passengers who have entered. during that period. In certain cases, it inight be dcsirable to dispense with the nscol' the cyclonieter, in which case the recess in which it is located, may either be iillcd up or nscd as a. space to contain advertisements.

The usc otA the box is not limited to col. lectingstreet car fares, as it will be l'ound useful in refreshment stands, restaurants, breadwagons, niilk wagons, and all places where anything is sold l'or one price, or a multiple ol that price and where the business is not directly under the supervision ol' thc owner. In using the box it will bc necessary to observe that thetickcts should be ol' uniform size and must be separated bcl'orc insertion. Il two kinds oltickets are observed, such as adults and childrcns, it will be necessary to have these clearly distinguished by color or other suitable nicans, as each one will register as a whole l'arc.

lhilcthe invention has been described herein, with great particularity oll detail, yet it will be readily understood that in carrying out the construction ol" the saine, chan'nsw might bcwniade in the details, thereof, without materially departing l'roin thc spirit ol` the invention.

That I claiin as n iy invention isz- 1. ln alare box, a rotary conveying incinber having aslot therethrough, a casing inclosing thesanic having two slots therein, through which thc tickets are adapted to bc inserted and discharged., thc said slots beingl so arranged that they cannot siinultanconsly register withthe slotin thcrotary incinhcr, aieceptacle vto which thc casing is secured andanto which thc tickets are ladapted to be discharged, and resilient incans l'or .normally holding the rotary incnibcr with the slot therethrough registering with the slot in the casing through which the tickets are adapted to be inserted, as and i'or thc purpose specified.

2. Aiarebox including, in combination, a rotary conveying memberL having a slot therethrough', a casing inclosing the saine,

tion With the transparent rotary. member having a recess therein and operating means Within the recess, a casing partially inclosing the rotary member, of a coating oi' reflecting material covering the inside of the recess adapted to obscure Ithe mechanism WithinV the same, as and 'for the purpose speciiied. 4. In a fare collecting box, the combina-V tion With the rotary Vcarrying member, and locking means therefor automatically operated When .the box is inverted, and means i'or preventin the disengagement of the locking means re easable only by the inversion and lateral shaking of the box, as and for the purpose specified.

5. In a fare collecting box, the combination with the rotary member, of a freely slidable locking plunger adapted to engage the same when the box is inverted, and locking means preventing disen agement of the plunger releasable by latera shaking of the box, as and for the purpose speciiied.

6. In a iare collecting box, the combination with the rotary conveying member, of a freely slidable plunger having a ratchet tooth thereon, a casing inclosingthe same and having corresponding teeth adapted to be engaged by the teeth on the plunger after the same isv moved outwardly and thus prevent retrograde movement, as and for the purpose specified. i

7. In a `fare collecting box, the combination With the rotary member, oi a plunger having teeth on the sides thereof, a casing i'or the same having a constricted opening equal in Width to the greatest Width oi the plunger, the edges oi which are adapted to be engaged by the teeth on the plunger, as and for the purpose specified.

8. In a 'fare box, the combination with the rotary member,.of a plunger having teeth on the sides and ends thereof, a casing inclosing the plunger having a constricted opening, the edges of Which are adapted to be engaged by the teeth on the side of the plunger and yalso (fare box,

having teeth on the inside adapted to be engaged by the teeth on the end of the plunger, the said teeth being adapted to be disengaged from each other vby the lateral shaking of the when in its normal position, as and for the purpose specified.

9. In a l'are collecting box, the combination with the rotary carrying member and means for supporting the same, of a plurality of locking plungers operated When the box is inverted and separate shoulders on the rotary member, adapted to be engaged by each pif the plungers, as andfor the purpose speci- 10. In a fare collecting box, the combination With the transparent rotary carrying member, of a casing partially inclosing the same, leaving open spaces through the top, by means o'l' Which the ticket may be observed, the inside surface oi' the casing being of a light reilecting character, as and for the purpose speciiied.

11. A i'are collecting box, including in combination, a transparent rotary conveying member, having a slot therethrough, a casing partially inclosing the same having slots therein adapted to register at different times With the slot through the rotary member, and a locking device automatically operated by inversion of the box When the rotary member has been rotated to its discharging position, as and for the pur ose'speciiied.

12. A fare col ecting box, including in combination, a transparent rotary member,

having a slot therethrough, a casing partially inclosing the same and havin tWo slots therein, for the entrance and disc arge of the tickets, the said slots being adapted to register at different times With the slot through the rotary member, resilient means for holding the rotary member With the slot therethrough in engagement with the entrance slot through the casing, a plurality of locking plungers automatically operating to lock the rotary member When the box is inverted, with the slot in the rotary member registering With the discharge opening in the casing, and a receptacle connected to the casing, into which the tickets are adapted to be discharged, as and for the purpose specified.

Signed at Ottawa, in the Province oi Ontario, this 9th day ol' May, 1907.

HARRY WILLIAMS CHARLTON.

` `"Witnesses:

RUSSEL S. SMART, J. H. GLEN. 

